Method of draining land.



E. W.l APPELMAN.

METHOD OF DRAINING LAND.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24. 1911.

LI m Patented Feb.23,1915.

are rara irren.

ERAST'US W. APPELMAN, 0F CLERMONT, IOWA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO AIVIERICAN DRAINAGE COMPANY, 0F DUIBUQUE, IOWA, A CORPORATION OFIOWA.

METHOD OF DRAINING LAND.

Application filed May 24, 1911.

T0 all @07mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERAsTUs WV. Arrien- MAN, citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Clermont, in the county of Fayette and State ofIowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods forDraining Land, of which the following 1s a specification.

My invention relates to systems o r methods of draining land and theobject 1s to provide a method whereby a partial vacuum is automaticallyformed at times, some distance beneath the surface of the ground, bywhich the moisture is drawn from a great distance and after the waterhas been filtered, to then deliver it into a drain to be disposed of inporous or water bearing earth. F

1t consists in forming a partial vacuum chamber at some distance beneaththe soil, then in filtering the water as it is drawn into the chamber,and then delivering the filtered water into receiving' earth below thechamber.

The following specification and the drawings accompanying the same willpoint out one convenient mode whereby the method can be successfullycarried out.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the device in position. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the soil fender in position upon the tile. Fig. 3shows the tile removed. Fig. 4 is a cross section on line x-x of Fig. 2.

Like characters ofreference denote corresponding parts in all of thefigures.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the chamber which is formed byexcavating the earth for a considerable space below the surface of theground. If the soil be sandy or of slight consistency, then preferably acorrugated tube 4 may be sunk into and form the walls of the chamber.If, however, the ground be clay or other self-sustaining ground then thetube 4 may be dispensed with. TWhere the tube is used there may beopenings at various points in the tube 4, though these openings are nota necessity. The bottom 6 of the chamber is earth. The forming of thischamber at some depth below the surface of the soil is one of theessential elements in the successfully carrying out of my method andaids largely with the devices hereinafter to be described in causing atendency toward a vacuum in the chamber beneath the ground.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1215.

Serial No. 629,937.

The chamber' 2 is covered with a circular' plate 8 preferably made ofcement or other v porous material, horizontal on its lower surface andoval on its upper surface. It is also strengthened by casting in metalrods 9 with the cement. The plate projects slightly beyond the walls ofthe chamber. This plate over the top of the chamber is formed so as toresist a large pressure,

`whereby it may be covered with earth 12 sufficiently deep to protectfrom frost and so as to seal the top of the chamber practithe openingand ce ch section rests upon the section below and leaves a seam 17 atthe junction of any two sections.

Upon the upper section, is placed a tile 16 that extends nearly to thetop of the chamber. Outside, and preferably formed integral with thetile 16, are stays or supports 20 terminating at their lower ends inshoulders 22, which shoulders project out at substantially right anglesto the tile 16 and are slightly curved where they join the tile. Theupper end of the stays also are formed into shoulders 24 that projectinward over the top of the tile and on these shoulders rest the coverplate 8.

Around the tile 16 and just in contact with the supports 2O is a soilfender 25. The soil fender sets upon the lower shoulders 22 and extendsupward nearly .to the top of the shoulders 24 of the supports and veryclose to the cover plate 8 but not in contact with the plate. There isalso left a space 23 between the tile and soil fender of about the widthof the supports.

Through the cover are small openings in which are inserted wires 30 thatextend down within the fender upon the outside of the tile 16 and draintubes 15 and upon the inside of said drain and tile and are unitedtogether at the upper side of the cover plate 8 by a twist 32 in thewire. This rigidly holds the cover plate upon the shoulders 24 and alsoholds the sections of the drain pipe and the tile rigidly togethermaking a continuous pipe from the top of the tile to the bottom of thedrain with the exception of the seams 17. lf a large amount of water isdelivered down and washes out beneath the lower section then this willhold the different sections of the drain pipe in the original positionthey were placed when they were inserted in the ground.

In its operation the moisture from the soil around will filter throughthe ground into the chamber 2 and lthe chamber and the space between thesoil fender and the tile up to the top of the tile will be filled andthen the water will pass over into the tile and down through the draininto the earth. If, at any time, the moisture ceases to be filtered intothe chamber 2, the water in the chamber will gradually pass down aroundthe sections 15, not only through the porous sections but through theseams 17 between the sections and be disposed of at the bottom of thedrain. By this action the water passing out of the chamber will leave apartial vacuum which will draw the moisture from a large distance tofill the chamber and also be drawn through the seams 17 and through thesides of the sections 15 which will have a strong tendency to produce avacuum in the chamber and there will be very little air drawn into thechainber since the cover is practically sealed airtight and the moisturewill fill the small spaces between the particles of' earth and preventthe air from passing into the chamber. It will be seen that since thechamber is formed at such distance beneath the ground and the water isfiltered into the chamber, that there will be no danger of any freezingor any clogging of the drain, and that the tendency toward a vacuum isso strong after the chamber has once been filled, that the moisture willbe drawn from a very great distance around the chamber and around theseams and porous drain tubes.

Having now described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is l. The method of draining water from surface soilthrough normally impervious subsoil and discharging the water into alower stratum of porous soil, which comprises forming a water receivingchamber in the surface soil at some distance below the ground level,connecting the water receiving chamber with the lower stratum of poroussoil, and substantially preventing the access of air to thewater-receiving chamber, so that the flow of water to the lower stratumof porous soil will tend to create a vacuum that will aid in drawingwater from the surface soil to the water-receiving chamber.

2. The method of draining water from surface soil through normallyimpervious subsoil and discharging the water into a lower stratum ofporous earth, which comprises maintaining below the ground level awater-receiving chamber sealed by a substantial thickness of earth fromaccess to the air, filtering the water irfto said chamber, connectingsaid water --receiving chamber with said lower stratum of porous earth,and utilizing the gravity pull of the water flowing to said lowerstratum of earth for producing a tendency to a vacuum that will draw thewater from the surface soil to said water-receiving chamber.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERASTUS W. APPELMAN.

lVitnesses:

M. M. CADY, A. B. HANsHAw.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

